The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-12-29
TRE.NEW PROFEssoR.

to the pupils Of the Heiiotrope Female
academy. AS the" accomplished prin-
cipal," so the newspapers express It. of
this great institution, | considered it NV
duty to have professor of science added
to my corps of teachers. It sounded we'll
IN speaking to say, " Professor West. of
fiellotrope academy" / must say it was
the aim of my life to have everything ap
pear much better than it really was. At
a teachers meeting we had discussed the
matter. -" shall stipulate for an un-
married man." / informed the ladies.
Middle aged, learned and companion
able for intellectual women like our
selves" The teachers all agreed with
me-, but Col. Sands, my wealthy patron.
demurred at the proposed advance. He
came In just as our meeting adjourned.
Being widOwer, and as Edith had taken
her history lesson into the study to learn,
l begged him to sit down and tell US how
he managed his dear motherless children.
don't manage them-blessed if do
Eve turned them over to you ladies to
manage. Keep that rascal Dick Granger
away from my Edith. That's all ask.
Bless my heart, what can do with a par
had numberless answers to my adver.
tisement for a professor, but tossed
them all aside and engaged Professor
West. The moment my eyes rested up
on him felt intuitively that the very per-
son | desired had presented himself. So
handsome, 80 very handsome, in spite of
immense green goggles so gentle and re-
hned and SO good, so innocently good
engaged him at once on the easiest terms.
Indeed, Professor West declared himself
SO appreclativs Of the great advantage of
enjoying our society that he almost for
got the question of salary. He was quite
Indifferent to money. | found him will
ing to come for mere pittance, which
went far to bias me in his favor, as it al
ways does seem hard to pay out so much
money to teachers. The 1utter of nerves
mentioned above was occasioned bv the
arrival of the professor. He was actually
In the house. All the teachers were
struck by his ingenious manner and bis
ghtforward, beautiful candor.
He says he never met more charm
ing set of ladies'" observed Miss Brown.
the English teacher He says the girls
are not to his taste at all he despises
such young things !; he says my eyes are
lovely"
"Ma fol! Your eyes indeed I" ejacula-
ted Mamselle Alice, the French teacher.
" lie vows my retrousse nose is piquante,
charmante-ah, monsieur is one grand
gentleman"
81 don't believe in fattery," interiected
Miss Turner. "Nobody insults me bv
compliments. The professor thought /
was one of the girls; indeed never saw
a man SO amazed as when / told him
was teacher" Miss Turner looked
every day of her As years.
" He is very near sighted" Ireminded
her.
Not at ALL" insisted Miss Turner.
He onl y wears glasses to shade his eyes,
and he always says just what he thinks"
Putting on my glasses drew out a
note. 1t was from the professor. | was
determined to read it merely as check
in their vanity and concet. "Let me
see," l began, quite as if the idea had
that moment occurred to me. "He says
in this note; Il am coming early to have
better opportunity of knowing lady
whom l have long admired tor her tai
ents and erudition.' Without the small
est notice of a decidedly envious laugh l
folded the note and went to my room, to
read up on the miocene period The pro-
fessor was to lecture on the miocene pc
Rod. After taking my seat and leaving
my glasses on the table-they always
made me look ten years older-I went
down to see Professor West. To nv
amazement there sat Mam'selle Felicie
in her best black silk, with crimson trim
mings, talking in her excitable foreign
way. There ON the other side was Miss
Brown in best plaid smiling in bland
amiability. Miss Turner in her Sunday
cashmere ogled him in front. To do the
professor justice, he seemed restless and
in evident expectation of some one else.
As he turned at once to me felt certain
that was the person for whom my hand
some young professor waited. We dis
cussed extinct pachyderms of the miocene
period. l made some strong points, to
which he yielded without argument.
Miss Turner whispered quite audibly that
the professor had not chance to put in
word.
When we were passing into the lecture
room observed that he looked at Edith
Sand, who contrived te be in our way,
and that she laughed rather pertly. Be-
fore l could speak to her the professor
said in low tone: What grand figure
YOU have, my dear lady-queenly, posi-
lively qneenly."
heard that silly Edith litter so rudely
that common decorum induced me to
send her to back seat. She is con-
sidered beautiful by some people, but to
my thinking her face is weak; besides,
she has round chubby figure. had it
from the professor himself that he ad-
mired queenly figure. The lecture was
rather obscure, of course. / saw that the
professor was very deep, but I am not
sure the girls appreciated their privilege.
Edith Sands turned very red and almost
choked with laughter. II it had been any
one else than Professor West might
have imagined that be became a triAe
mixed and confusing on the miocene strata,
but then he was certainly handsome
man. By the merest accident happened
in the hall when the professor was put
ting on his overcoat, and found the
teachers around him in an admiring cir
Gle. I must say that my acumen and
knowledge Of human nature never evinced
itself so distinctly as when l engaged
Professor West. He turned at once to
me and spoke in the most complimentary
manner Of my observations Of the tertiary
epoch. " Nothing ever interested me so
49, Al Il